Boat construction and control of sails



July 28 1953 l.. svtlNssoN' 2,646,763

BOAT CONSTRUCTION AND coNToL 0F sAILs Filed sept. 2o, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEY July 28 19.53 LI svElNssON 2,6465763 BOAT AcLo'N'sTRUCTIoN AND CONTROL. oF A1Ls Filed sept. 2o, 1950 2 sheets-sheet 2 i l INVENTOR N Lou/S SVK/fisso@ BYMM ATTORNEY ...apa

Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED i STATES rArsrzN'rv oFFlcE Louis Sveinsson,'Baltimore, Md.

Application September 20, 1950, ySerial No. 185,809

Y f 1 n This invention relates to improvements in sail boats.

An object of the invention is the provision of a housing built into the bottom of a boat and containing a -mechanism for not only rockably supporting a mast but for limiting rocking movement of the mast which controls the position of the tiller in accordance with the wind pressure on a sail of the boat, said housing projecting into the water, being impervious to water, and functioning as a buoyant force for the boat while acting as a centerboard because of its streamlined shape.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a relatively narrow and elongated housing sealed to the bottom of a boat and opening at its upper end into the bottom of the boat with the sidewalls of the housing curving inwardly towards each other and terminating at the bottom in a common thin edge to form a center board, said housing functioning as a pontoon .adjacent the bow of the boat, the mast of the boat being supported by a step pivoted at its lower end on a shaft borne by the housing so that the step and mast Vvmay rock transversely of the boat,l arms crossing each other, having the lower ends pivoted .on opposite sidewalls of the housing with the upper ends cushioned Y by springs supported by brackets pivoted on the underface of the deck, linkage connecting the lower/end of the step at opposite sides thereof, with the lower ends of the arms to limit rocking movement of the mast and to provide a plurality of forces for aiding inmaintaining stabilization of the boat. A

Afurther object of the invention is the provision of a watertight housing secured to the bottom of a sail boat and disposed longitudinally along a portion of the keel for exerting a buoyant force on the boat adjacent the bow and functioning as a center board, a plurality of instrumentalities connected between the housing, the underface of the deck and a mast-supporting step pivoted in the housing for limiting rocking movement of the mast and for creating forces which will eliminate substantially any ballast rThis invention is best understood from, a consideration oi the following detailed description` taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, nevertheless, it must be borne in mind that the invention is not limited to the disclosure butgis susceptible of such` changes and Vmodiiications as shall dene no material `departure from ther salient features of the invention as expressed lillpfllddtlam: v 'L 1 claim. (C1. 114-39) Inv the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse verticalv section of a sail boat taken along the line I-I of Figure 2 showing the particular improvements therein;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the boat taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; v

Figure 4 shows more or less diagrammatically a front end viewand a plan viewv of the boat riding along a straight line indicating the course tendency of the symmetrical plan of the bottom of the boat; and

Figure 5 shows more or less diagrammatically a front end view and a plan view of the boat tending to move off its course, the shading indicating the unsymmetrical plan of the bottom of the boat.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I0 designates a sailboat having a 1in I I and a rudder I2 which is operated by a tiller I3 through a shaft I4 mounted'for rocking movement in the stern of the boat. A mast l5 is mounted in a step generally designated by the numeral I6. An opening Il in the deck I8 of the boat permits rocking of the mast transversely of the boat.

A housing 20 has a peripheral iiange 2| received by an elongated opening 22 in the bottom 23 of the boat. An annular metal rim 24 is bolted at 25 to the ange 2| while the rim 24 is wide. enough to project over the periphery of the open-- ing for supporting the housing from the bottom. ofthe boat. The housing has a hollow portion 26 and a solid tapered portion 21 -which acts as. a center board.

The framing or mast step I6 has an elongated bottom portion running lengthwise of the axis; of the boat which is in the form of an elongated-f. sleeve 30 for receiving an axle 3| mounted at the*A ends thereof in bearings 32 formed in upper ends: of the housing diametrically opposite points andi just` below the rim 24. The mast step is substantially triangular in shape and has a socket 33 at the apex thereof for receiving a lower reduced portion 34 of the mast I5. The reduction of said end of the mast forms a shoulder which rests upon the upp'erend of said socket.

Ears 35 'rigidwith the bottom of the step I6 projects in opposite directions from Ythe step. A link 3B is ,pivoted atene end to each ear. lA second link 3l has one end pivoted to the other end of each first mentioned link. The other end of each second mentioned link is pivoted tothe' adjacently disposed-lower end ofa curved arm The arm 38 has the lower end pivoted in a saddle or pedestal 40 secured to the curved inner face of one sidewall of the housing 20. The arm 39 has its lower end pivoted in a saddle 4| on the opposite Wall of the housing. These arms cross each other above the axle 3l and pass through the open spaces in the mast step I6. The upper free end of each arm at opposite sides of the step have pivotalr connections at 42 with an adjaceritly disposed`v bolt 41? which passes through an opening in a flange 44 on the lower end of a bracket 45. A coil spring 46 is received by the bolt and has one endresting orr a; hemispherical washer 41 which is supported by acurved seat in the ange 44. A washer 48 and a nut 49 on the upper end of each bolt not only( retains the spring in place but also ignrcvidesA means for adjusting the tension on the springs. The upper ends of the brackets 45 are hinged-on plates E) which are bolted to the under face of the deck I8 at opposite sides di the opening F1 ilnthe lfm The iii-ast l5 has' a forked crosstr'ee Si# (Figure l)-' at thei-l'ew'erend thereofadjac the |28K of t boat. plurality of wires! -ecnnect'edf tothe topc'i the mast esteriori downwardly an re` received: by passages' the? ends ci' tl'ii-'e' ar et the crosstree;` The lower ends'- ot'said@ wires arel connected' to turn# buclles 5s tn-z turnf are' attached to rings g y' wires' 55 are' also connected@ between the top ofi the niast th-'efturnbuekl'es1- rlEhese wires stabilize the mast.

Gables 56 andE 51:' have end.' attached at 58 td the' free' endif of the till'er' |31 andafter beingtif'ired oli a pulley extend-forwardly towards the bow" ofltile boa-t;- Tlie'cable 56' is trained on a pulley 66 mounted in a bracket which issecured' the"V deck aridfther fireejf end of said cable' is attached to! a ringe! rigid-'with-thef'lower end-oi the' niast Jl's't? belowthe:cro'sstree` 54. The cabie 5li is." t'rainedf onf a pulley` E2.V carriedbyy a bracketwhich-i-'sbeite'd to the 'deck t8 at'a'-pointdiametri-A cally opposite pulleyv S511A rEhe freeY endof thecable is: attached'- toarin-g1 63'- xed-tothe mastV ait ai". point-A diarnetrically oppositethe ring 5t.

A? boom' fisattached to` the mast-` l-5 (Figures 4fahd 5) in the` usual manner. A sail (not shown-)1' isf secured between the; boom*- a-nd' the :mast in' a Vwell-flsnown manner.-

'Ehe hoiising'- 20 is' watertight A andis sea-ledto their boat also" in a watertightA manner'. Said` vhousing acts-'asfV` a mids-hip--pontcorr-thereby pro# viding an upward buoyant force'ioraid-.i-ngf in producing effect a'- lightweightboa-tso that said boat willglide=freely over the surface ci the' water. The pontoon effect aids-the boat stepping up out off thewater contradistincticrrtoV the usual-sailboat which-must be ballastedto' sin-leA deep-into-fthefwaterV so thatsuclr crafts must plowtth-rougn the Water;

Arrows are applied-to Figures: 1,4- andi 5-- to illustrate morefclear-l-y the operation-ofA my improvements-when applied to' a-sailboatf- In Figuifezl; -arrowindicates-tlieedfirectiorr ofthe forceo the wind-fwhite:A arrows b shows: the directionof thebuoyant for-eeen thefbotto'ni of thev boat. These twdfoices-act ati-rightanglesto-eachfotherl in effect represents the ballast, and, in thisipar'e 4 ticular case, weight elimination. On the other* hand, arrow e points out more directly the upward pull on the pedestals 4D and 4I when the mast is rocked in a vertical plane disposed transversely of the boat.

In the plan views in Figures 4 and 5, arrows f and f illustrate respectively the straight course of the boat under normal conditions and a course the boat tends to take" under abnormal conditions. In Figure 5, the tendency of the boat to turn towards the weather side is corrected by instrumentalities which are brought intor play by the oscillation of the mast and the nast step on the axle or shaft 3l in a manner which will be described presently.

When the' wind force acts on the mast I5 in the directionwrepresented by the arrow a (Figures l and 5) said' mast through the medium of the' sail will tilt towards the lee side of the boat While the boat is also tilted exposing a greaterV area" ofthe bottomVY of the beat' as: indicated by the unshaded portion in the plan View in Figure 5. However,- the til-ting of the mast causes aA siniilar angular movement of the step sox that the rope" or cable 5S will vexert apn-ll on the tiller which in' turn will rock the rudder l2 to the pesition shown in" Figure-5 for steering the boat on its true course. Whenthe' wind force onf thev sail and mast tilts-saidY mast in the opposite' direction from that indicated Aby the arrows Figures l and 5, the rope 51 will cause the til-ler to'A` move the rudder in theMoppos-ite direction for maintaining the boat on itscourse;

When-the rua-st is vertically disposed all of the parts in the body ofthe boatandin the housing 2t are in balance;l When the ,mast l5is tilted in the direction indicatedby the dottedl-ines in Figure 5" (en-dk View) andthe `arrows a i-n Figures lf and 5, the links- 35- and 3:1 4 connected` between the' ear 35 and the pedestal 4t wil-1 exert adownward-'pressureonfth-e artn- 3S and-on said-pedestal; The arrnfinV Willexe'rt apull-onthespring Wat-the right hand side'in Figure l while pressure willi be relieved on the other spring 413-.- This action Willtend to draw' the-weather side-of the boat down inthe water-. If the-mast is tilted in the ppo'site direction-,fthe elements-'justl-described will reverse' their' positions and-with-an opposite effect;

Numerous-functionsmayv be attributed toy the housing 20" beside 'being' ajwatertight enclosure for the links 35,- 3l` the-lower ends ofthe step'A t5" and the arrrisI 38- and 39: The'stream-e linedshape' cf the housing-v a'ss'hwnrinf Figures l and 2 performs the function of a center board; Said" housing gives-fa buoyant effect tothe"boat since it' acts asa midshippontoon, whereby the boatniayglide' freely' over the water.

The mechanism the'I boat and housing (Figures-l and'Zv when-broughtf-into'- play by the' alti-nef of the-mast se ane-step lie-tenus te eumiS-f nate the necessity ofproviding' ballastsiic'e the forciesare inLcounterbala-nce'. Thus; one' force cannot' bec' dominant?.

What I claim :`y In'- a sailboat har/ings mast, decis asn-'draf nosh-ef opposite inner side walls of the housing, a shaft mounted in bearings in the housing and disposed longitudinally of the boat, a step pivoted on the shaft and provided with a socket projecting through the deck opening, the heel of the mast received by the socket, spring means pivoted to the underface of the deck and having pivotal connections With the adjacently disposed upper ends of the arms and linkage at each side of the step and having pivotal connections between the lower end of the step and an adjacently disposed lower end of an arm, the arms, linkage and springs limiting rocking movement of the step and mast.

LOUIS SVEINSSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Holley Feb. 22, 1870 Lyman May 3, 1881 Seymour Aug, 11, 1891 Wheless Dee. y5, 1905 Jensen Sept. 11, 1905` Pool July 30, 1907 Myers Oct. 22, 1912 Lee Aug. 21, 1928 Robinson Feb. 23, 1932 Steele Mar. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATE NTS Country Date Germany Oct. 22, 1890 

